1. Field
The present invention relates to techniques for characterizing a computer system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus that characterizes the health of a power supply in a computer system during operation of the computer system.
2. Related Art
Computer system manufacturers depend on mean time between failure (MTBF) estimates for power supplies to help determine the reliability of their computer systems. In order to maintain a dependable updated assessment of the condition of an individual power supply in a computer system, some power supplies include sensors to help monitor the power supply. However, although such sensors may allow the health of a power supply to be characterized, sensor readings from individual power supplies may not catch trends or patterns in an installed base of power supplies that fail in similar but previously unrecognized ways. For example, if a batch of power supplies is manufactured with faulty capacitors, an analysis of the sensor readings from an individual power supply may give little advanced warning that the power supply is starting to show effects due to the faulty component if the power supply is otherwise operating within its specifications.
Hence, what is needed is a method and apparatus that characterizes the health of a power supply in a computer system during operation of the computer system without the above-described problems.